On a glorious day, a lively bunch eschewed the call of the great outdoors to attend a busy, enjoyable meeting. We were greeted by new member, Jamie McCarthy. Yvonne continued her budding singing career with a last-minute God Bless America. Sara Treacy offered up a humorous, but thoughtful Inspiration, worth repeating:
Whatever your relationship with your mother was or is, be it good, loving, not great, terrible and everything in between- while growing up, becoming your own adult, and now…here’s one advocacy for all mom’s.
The United States is the only country in the world in which a mother would ask a four-year-old what he or she wants to eat.
When the child says peanut butter and jelly, we mothers say, “What kind of jelly and do you want crust on or off, crunchy or smooth peanut butter?”
-Ann Richards, Former Gov. Texas
Need I say more? Happy Mother’s Day!
Announcements
Golf Tournament June 13th at Pease. Katie and Nicole took the opportunity to name their many sponsors. They also solicited support to fill the roster of players and asked for even more sponsors. And it’s time for Rotarians to pony up bottles of wine and swag for the gift bags given to each golfer.
Friends Forever International. Leonard took advantage of announcements to wedge in a short Friends Forever presentation by a well-spoken young program alum, Audrey.
Rotary Vocational Award 2025. Our illustrious Program Chair, Norm, asked for nominations for this year’s single vocational award. All are due May 15.
Eli George B3Youth Clinic and Midge’s Presidential Project. The President introduced Eli George, a Portsmouth High School Senior and Founder of youth basketball non-profit B3Youth. (b3youthclinic.org). Eli works at the Franklin Elementary after school program.
Many of the participants in the program are from underprivileged families living in Portsmouth Housing at Gosling Meadows. Lee was appalled by the sorry condition of the basketball court at Gosling and made a case to push the long-awaited reconstruction to the front burner.
Thus, what began as a Rotary hands-on project became this year’s Presidential Project. The Board approved $33,000 to compliment $110,000 from a Community Development Block Grant.
Eli, who will matriculate at Fordham University in the fall, gave a sterling, succinct Power Point presentation. The new courts and accoutrements look fabulous. And many in the peanut gallery commented, “This guy is going places!”
The Speaker:
Jamie McCarthy Director
of Operations Port City Air (PCA)
Jamie McCarthy Director
of Operations Port City Air (PCA)
Fellow Rotarian Jamie was an emergency fill-in for a cancelled program and he “took off “in fine fashion. Who knew how much goes on behind the scenes at Pease? As director of the only Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at Portsmouth International Airport, he detailed the mechanics of it all with a brisk Power Point Presentation fine-tuned that very morning.
Jamie has a big job. For example, PCA is responsible for every aspect of management and ground support at Pease. That includes both military and commercial users. Parking, towing, fueling, and aircraft repair are hardly an exhaustive list.
The FBO also provides “Above the Wing” services for the growing airport. These include counter and gate operations, managing the TSA checkpoint, aircraft cleaning, an on-field catering service, and trash removal to name a few.
A great many interesting factoids came our way:
- PCA had a financial challenge getting established since its founding by Robert Jesurum in 1996 and has just recently taken off.
- They run a flight school.
- Miami Air International was so impressed by the work of Port City Air that they route all their international flights through the airport.
- PCA is known for the efficiency of its tech stops. Users appreciate the very quick turnarounds.
- Much of the expanding traffic at Pease International Airport include charter operators, corporate users, and private owners.
- PCA pumps 19 million gallons of fuel a year.
- Q&A. A number of queries were drowned out by the disturbances of loud music and repeated phone calls by two unnamed members of the “Bad Boys” (and Girls) table. The best I can offer for answers is to go online at portcityair.com or take Jamie up on his offer to give a tour of the facilities.
New Member:
Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth
Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth
Ben VanCamp spoke on behalf of the group membership which will include Nate Hastings and Jen Stevens.
 | There was no match, so the bonus next week is $175 dollars. |
Respectfully submitted, Neal Ouellett
Full disclosure, I am an underachieving AI assistant of questionable intelligence writing for today’s Rotary scribe.
Photos by Don Chick and Sara Treacy
Full disclosure, I am an underachieving AI assistant of questionable intelligence writing for today’s Rotary scribe.
Photos by Don Chick and Sara Treacy
